25-26 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Knights vs Hurricanes Series Thread

[St. Pete Gogolak]

48 minutes ago, JohnC said:

GMs make a lot of personnel decisions that over time make you think: WTF were you thinking!  When you look back you say to yourself: What if we did this instead of that? Where would we now be? You and others are pointing out the McNabb deal to demonstrate your point. But in reality, not all deals work out as well as you would have wanted. The fairer way to look at an organization's performance is the body of work. If you add to the McNabb discussion the Eichel, Reinhart, and to a lesser extent Ullmark, then it becomes clear that the accumulation of compounding bad decisions set us back.  It was our own organizational ineptitude over an extended period of time that weighed this franchise down. 

The Sabres are now reasonably well situation from a roster standpoint. And it demonstrated that point from how it played last season. I just hope that this once rickety franchise recognizes where it is at and builds on it instead of outsmarting itself for the quick fix. Sometimes being prudent and cautious is better than trying to being bold and ending up outsmarting yourself. 

Oh, I get it. It isn’t fair to point to one trade and say the GM screwed up. People do that to Beane on Two Bills Drive all the time. I do think it’s fair to look at a trade and ask what the bleep was the GM thinking. Fasching was a fourth round pick and showed some promise but not a ton. McNabb looked like he would be an NHL defenseman at that point. Then you throw in two seconds?  I know DeLasuers (sp?) came back but so what?  And Murray made many, many bad decisions as GM.

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, inkman said:

 

 

I can’t keep reliving these failures. Moving out McNabb & Foligno set this franchise back an immeasurable amount. They took every fiber of a backbone and ripped it out of the franchise and never came close to replacing it. Every time I see their names, it gets me super irate. Why would any GM do this to a city that values blue collar players as much as Buffalo. Just maddening. 

As you point out, players such as McNabb and Foligno (more than even Jack) are players that the fandom would embrace. They represent more than the team; they represent the ethos of the area. But it goes beyond that. What's aggravating is not only can they play tough roles but they can also provide offensive production. Most of the tougher players don't have that two-way skill set. Two young players now on our roster who seem to fit that gritty role yet are good productive players are Benson and Doan.  Zucker is older but he is another player who fits the hardnosed role and production model. 

As you exasperatingly point out: our own organizational incompetence handcuffed itself. If stupidity was a crime it would be at a felonious level for some of the stewards of this franchise. 

[JohnC]

12 minutes ago, St. Pete Gogolak said:

Oh, I get it. It isn’t fair to point to one trade and say the GM screwed up. People do that to Beane on Two Bills Drive all the time. I do think it’s fair to look at a trade and ask what the bleep was the GM thinking. Fasching was a fourth round pick and showed some promise but not a ton. McNabb looked like he would be an NHL defenseman at that point. Then you throw in two seconds?  I know DeLasuers (sp?) came back but so what?  And Murray made many, many bad decisions as GM.

You nailed it when you pointed the finger at Murray for a lot of his misjudgments that had long lasting effects. He used his bluster to hide his incompetence. In the end, you can't hide the record. It speaks for itself. 

[Doohickie]

47 minutes ago, inkman said:

I can’t keep reliving these failures. Moving out McNabb & Foligno set this franchise back an immeasurable amount. They took every fiber of a backbone and ripped it out of the franchise and never came close to replacing it. Every time I see their names, it gets me super irate. Why would any GM do this to a city that values blue collar players as much as Buffalo. Just maddening. 

Foligno in particular is the one that just kills me.

[Porous Five Hole]

Buffalo Sabres Special Asst. to General Manager Eric Staal did the Canes pre-game thing. I don’t care about that stuff at all. I’m just surprised Staal still works here after KA was let go. 

[Broken Ankles]

6 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Buffalo Sabres Special Asst. to General Manager Eric Staal did the Canes pre-game thing. I don’t care about that stuff at all. I’m just surprised Staal still works here after KA was let go. 

I would question how much he is really "working" for the Sabres since the firing.  I would be surprised if he is even attending periodic MS Teams sessions with other "remote" staff. I heard his 1/1 session was cancelled in Outlook.  On July 1st, payroll will be notified to stop sending direct deposits to his bank. 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

1 hour ago, Broken Ankles said:

I would question how much he is really "working" for the Sabres since the firing.  I would be surprised if he is even attending periodic MS Teams sessions with other "remote" staff. I heard his 1/1 session was cancelled in Outlook.  On July 1st, payroll will be notified to stop sending direct deposits to his bank. 

[HoosierDaddy]

14 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

First real team Carolina faced and it showed. 

Not that it matters, but that “real team”would be on their second month on the links if they played in the Eastern Conference. The NHL regular season matters less than in any other sport. Just do enough to get in and then get hot. 

[Jon in Pasadena]

13 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Hertel and Elmwood were part of my stomping grounds. 

One of my earliest memories is the Tunmore Oldsmobile sign.

According to my parents, the first word I ever read was "Vodka" from a sign on a liquor store in that area as we passed it in the car.

Edited Wednesday at 05:44 PM by Jon in Pasadena

[wjag]

Big smile today as the Canes blow a 2-0 lead in front of their homies.

[Jon in Pasadena]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

You nailed it when you pointed the finger at Murray for a lot of his misjudgments that had long lasting effects. He used his bluster to hide his incompetence. In the end, you can't hide the record. It speaks for itself. 

ZFG

Turns out maybe it would have been better to give at least a couple of F

[SwampD]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

I don't understand why you couldn't watch the game on ABC? Shouldn't it have been available on the legacy channel that is available to all? I'm confused why you didn't have access to the game. 

I hate the new world of streaming. As you say: It's a shakedown that is difficult to avoid. 

In a cottage with no tv. Using work phone as hotspot to my iPad.

[Hawerchuk]

What a game! Awesome comeback by the VGK! 

[Nacho Libre]

 

[Weave]

1 hour ago, Nacho Libre said:

 

I wanna see that list.  Has to be an interesting list.

[Nacho Libre]

16 minutes ago, Weave said:

I wanna see that list.  Has to be an interesting list.

 

[Pimlach]

6 hours ago, Jon in Pasadena said:

One of my earliest memories is the Tunmore Oldsmobile sign.

According to my parents, the first word I ever read was "Vodka" from a sign on a liquor store in that area as we passed it in the car.

I love vintage Buffalo.  The places, the signs, taverns and corner bars, restaurants, the old factories.  
 

[Weave]

51 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

 

I was not aware Jagr played with Trottier.  Interesting.

 

and wait!…… Benoit Freaking Hogue won a cup?

[calti]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

I was not aware Jagr played with Trottier.  Interesting.

 

and wait!…… Benoit Freaking Hogue won a cup?

Trottier is an alltime great.  So steady.

[thewookie1]

4 hours ago, Weave said:

I was not aware Jagr played with Trottier.  Interesting.

 

and wait!…… Benoit Freaking Hogue won a cup?

Pittsburgh in the early 90's 

[PASabreFan]

What a bogus "stat."

[Fansince70]

16 hours ago, Nacho Libre said:

 

The Kevin Bacon of the NHL.

[wjag]

Let's go Vegas....  Let's send the Canes back to Hartford where they belong...

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

What I can't figure out is how the AHL is only halfway through their semi-finals while tonight is Game 2 of the NHL finals.

[Fansince70]

Gonna be a war tonight.